Bill Lewis returned to the conference room and leaned against the doorframe. “Okay, the news stations are all updated. We have a description of our mystery man, at least the way he dresses on occasion and his height, approximate weight, and age range. I also forwarded photos and descriptions of the Pirelli brothers and said they were armed and dangerous. Now it’s going to be a waiting game in hopes that somebody calls in a tip.”
“Where is Joe with the abandoned building search?” Hopkins asked.
I stood and stretched. “I’ll go find out. I need to get the blood flowing through my limbs again, anyway. I think my butt has already gone numb.”
I walked to the end of the corridor and turned left. The tech department was at the end of that second hallway. Inside, I found everyone hard at work. I was sure every agent and department was helping in the search for J.T. “Hey, Joe.”
He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Jade. Crazy few days, right?”
“You know it. How’s it coming with the building search?” I grabbed a roller stool and wheeled it over to his cubicle then took a seat.
“I just wish we had a better idea of what we’re looking for. There are dozens of empty buildings in Milwaukee County, if that’s even where J.T. and his sister are being held.”
I sucked in a long breath. “You’ve eliminated houses and places within easy earshot of gunfire, right?”
He nodded. “Absolutely, and I still have twenty-nine vacant buildings throughout the county. Mind you, that’s only Milwaukee County.”
“Got it. You can pull up a bird’s-eye view for every building and print them out, right?”
“Yeah, that isn’t a problem.”
“Does it also give us info on the address, size of the building, and how long it’s been abandoned?”
“Not automatically, but I can enter those parameters into the database so that information is attached to each photo.”
I stood and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re the man, Joe. How soon can you get us that information for all twenty-nine buildings?”
“Wow. It’s going to take a while. I’ll get Jamie to help me.”
“Thanks, and call us when it’s ready. You know where we’ll be.”
I made a stop in the ladies’ room and splashed more water on my face. Then I leaned against the sink and fired off a short text to Amber. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning when I left to have breakfast with J.T. Back then, a short thirty-five hours ago, I thought everything was fine with the world. Now, I had no idea if my partner and his sister were even alive. I scooped up another handful of water, drank it, and patted my cheeks with my wet hands. I dried my face and headed back to the conference room.
With an exhausted breath, I took my seat and began jotting down every idea as it popped into my mind. “Where exactly is that tint shop, Bill?” I asked.
He stood and went to the Milwaukee County map on the back wall. “Let’s see. Here we go.” He stuck a red pushpin into the map.
“Something on your mind, Jade?” Spelling asked.
“Not sure. Is there any kind of statistic that tracks how far a perp normally conducts business from their ground zero point?”
“That’s a tough one,” Hopkins said. “Each case and situation is different, depending on the size of the city and its demographics. If someone wants to feel safe, they’re going to do everything away from their home base.”
“Even if it’s a one-time shot, like getting his windows tinted?”
Spelling raised his brows. “I see where you’re going with this, and that one-time incident might be an exception to the rule. The perp wouldn’t likely run into the shop owner again, especially if most of the daily activities he conducts are in the opposite direction of the tint shop. Let’s go with fifteen blocks in each direction. Give me a second.” Spelling got on the phone and called Joe. He ran that information past him and hung up. “Joe is having Erin map out a fifteen-block circumference around the tint shop. We’ll have the printout in a few minutes. Everyone grab a snack, use the facilities, and stretch. Be back here in ten minutes.”
I joined our team in the lunchroom and stood in line as we plugged change into the vending machines. With our sandwiches and sodas in hand, we headed back and took our seats.
Erin followed at our backs and passed out a dozen copies of the fifteen-block circumference she put together using the tint shop as the center point.
“Fifteen blocks out is a pretty wide perimeter,” she said, “but if there are vacant buildings within that area, you may be on to something.”
Spelling thanked her and she left, closing the door behind her. “Okay, everyone, keep busy until Joe has the information on the vacant buildings.”
I had been in my chair for only five minutes before I stood again. The group looked up at me.
“I have an idea that could be more useful than us sitting here without a plan. I’ll be right back.”